AI has hit a new level of popularity.

A few months ago it seemed like investors, startup founders, and marketers were the people most excited about AI.

But now consumers are on board. In fact, users who visit a website or make a purchase expect to interact with AI.

And – get this – 70% of consumers are now saying that AI makes a huge difference to the customer experience. 🤯

But there are a gajillion AI tools out there, and all of them promise to be the biggest game-changer of them all.

So to find out which tools are actually most helpful – and which AI trends are worth implementing for the biggest lift in customer retention – I spoke to the experts. 

That’s right, I went to Zendesk.

Here’s what I learned.

The top 10 AI tools for customer experience

In their 2025 report, Zendesk found that these 10 AI tools made the biggest difference when it comes to customer experience:

1. AI Agent Personas
2. AI Agent
3. Sentiment Analysis Tools
4. AI co-pilots
5. AI for workforce management
6. AI for customer service questions
7. Generative AI tools
8. Intent Detection tools
9. Automated workflow tools
10. Basic chatbots

Ok, so what are these things, exactly?

AI Agent Personas: Virtual representatives with unique personalities, which make digital experiences feel more human. More relatable. Personas can be trained on your brand voice for better consistency and stronger engagement.

AI Agent: An automated system that performs tasks, makes decisions, and solves problems with minimal human intervention. These digital workers can handle everything from customer inquiries to complex data analysis. I’ve tried them. They’re awesome.

Sentiment Analysis Tools: Software that extracts subjective information from text to determine whether the writer's attitude is positive, negative, or neutral. These tools help you gauge customer reactions, monitor brand reputation, and identify issues before they escalate.

AI co-pilots: Assistants that work alongside humans, enhancing productivity rather than replacing workers. These tools augment human capabilities by providing real-time suggestions, automating routine tasks, and surfacing helpful information.

AI for workforce management: Solutions that optimize scheduling, performance tracking, and resource allocation using predictive analytics and machine learning. These tools help you reduce operational costs and improve employee satisfaction.

AI for customer service questions: Intelligent systems that understand, categorize, and respond to customer inquiries across multiple channels. These tools can dramatically reduce response times, which users love.

Generative AI tools: Creative assistants that can produce original content like text, images, and code. Think of them as creative partners, handling first drafts and repetitive content while you add the finishing touches.

Intent Detection tools: Systems that analyze user queries to determine the underlying purpose regardless of phrasing. By understanding what customers actually want rather than just what they say, these tools dramatically improve response accuracy and customer satisfaction.

Automated workflow tools: Solutions that streamline business processes by connecting applications and triggering actions based on events. This reduces errors, saves time, and creates more consistent outcomes.

Basic chatbots: Entry-level conversational interfaces that follow scripts to answer common questions. While there are more advanced AI solutions out there, these tools can handle simple inquiries and provide 24/7 availability for straightforward customer support.

You could find versions of each of these tools and stitch them together into one big AI quilt… or you can just get them all through Zendesk. For free. 

Just sayin’.

Ok, moving on.

The top 2 trends

Does implementing 10 AI tools at once sound like a lot?

Yeah, me too. So let’s focus on the top two trends that we should all be following.

Top Trend #1: AI as a co-pilot

For a resource-strapped startup, co-pilots are a must-have. They're not just tools — they're teammates that work 24/7.

AI co-pilots help small teams automate mundane tasks while enhancing creativity where it matters. 

Startups like Descript use co-pilots to edit audio/video content in minutes instead of hours. Buffer leverages AI to draft social posts, and Notion AI transforms document chaos into organized content.

Co-pilots empower a 3-person team to operate like a 30-person company… without the overhead, insurance costs, or inter-office drama. 

Serve more customers without increasing overhead? Fine, twist my arm.

Top Trend #2: AI personas

How you talk to a customer is perhaps more important than what you say to them.

This is where AI personas shine.

Personas enable virtual agents to represent your brand in a way that feels authentic to you and natural to the customer.

And it doesn’t take 2+ weeks to onboard them as it does a human.

Pick your flavor: bubbly and outgoing, sassy and sarcastic, or patient with a high tolerance for silly questions? 

Startups like Lemonade use "Maya," their AI persona, to handle insurance claims with a conversational approach that builds trust. Replika created AI companions that form genuine emotional connections with users.

Even Mastercard deployed "Kai" to deliver financial insights with a trustworthy personality.

Ah yes, Kai. The life of the party.

Wind down your customer support inbox

Right now, you’re probably using some version of support@company.com to handle customer questions and complaints.

Maybe there’s an affiliated spreadsheet where you track questions coming in, or the most common feature requests. 

Monitoring that inbox and updating that spreadsheet takes more time and more money than most AI tools out there.

They’re definitely more expensive (and clunky) than Zendesk’s tool, which Hustle Fund startups can literally get for free for 6 months.

If you want to serve more customers and retain more customers without increasing your headcount, Zendesk for Startups is a no-brainer.